About Me

I'm Jake Johnson and installing a pool in my home was not easy. First, I had to make the decision. I live alone since my wife died a few years ago, and it seemed rather frivolous to spend money on a pool. I'm not old, but age was a bit of a factor. It seemed almost irresponsible and childish to want a pool at my age. After I committed, I had to find the right contractor. With so many variables (price, time, personality, etc.), it was a lot harder than I thought. Next, I had to work with the contractor to find the proper space and size and look. After months of construction, I had my pool, but then I had to learn a lot about the proper care and upkeep. Overall, though, my little foray into construction (even if I didn't do any of the really hard work) was informative and worthwhile!

If you have a large tree on your property that you would like to have removed, you will need to decide if you want to try to do the job yourself or hire the help from a tree service. Removing trees can be a bit tricky, but with some advance knowledge and the proper tools, it can be done on your own. Here are some guidelines to follow when removing a tree from your property.

Do A Complete Walk Through

You will want to take a look at the tree and all the possible scenarios that could happen when you make a cut in the trunk before attempting to take it down. If there are too many risks that you are not willing to take, call a professional tree service.

If it looks as if the tree is leaning in a direction where it will not make a direct hit on a structure, you will most likely be able to cut it down without incident. Take the lean and the height into consideration. Look for an area that you think the tree could fall without hitting other trees on the way down. You do not want other trees to topple and hit anything valuable.

Getting Ready

You will want to have a few friends available to help you guide the tree down in the direction you wish. Place a rope or a chain around the tree, up as far as you can, and have one or two friends hold the other end when it starts falling. They will be able to pull it so the tree tips the right way. Just a few inches can make a difference in the way the tree falls.

Felling The Tree

Use a chainsaw to prepare the trunk of the tree to fall. Make a horizontal cut halfway through the tree. Make another cut above this cut at a downward angle toward the horizontal cut you had just made until the two cuts meet, removing a wedge from the tree. This should be positioned opposite from the direction that you want the tree to fall.

On the other side of the removed wedge section, make another horizontal cut through the rest of the stump until it goes all the way through the stump. The tree will begin to fall as soon as the chainsaw cuts the entire stump.

Have someone available to yell which way the tree is falling so that no one gets trapped in its path. Your friends holding the rope or chain should guide the tree down while you run out of the way quickly, since the tree will be falling in the direction where you have just made the cut.

It is possible to remove a tree yourself, but if you're not sure you can do so safely, contact a local tree trimming and removal company.